3 Communities for the Aspiring Game Designer
Game Designers exist in a creative field where it is next to impossible to succeed by yourself. Yes, it’s kind of a known fact that an array of partners can offset the logistics/sales/promotional workload. What I’m getting at here is more that games need to be interacted with by other people to prove their viability. A lone director can make an indie arthouse masterpiece. A lone writer can draft and publish a fantastic novel. A lone painter can put extraordinary visuals to canvas. It’s easy to fail to do that without help, but a competent creative can manage.
Games, on the other hand, are interactive mediums often intended for a multiplayer experience. Even solo-only board games will likely contain too many moving parts for a single designer to grapple with. Their own biases make some aspects even more difficult to parse. Outside input is a must-have, and for that, you need people – testers, editors, fellow designers. More than that, you need a community.
In this article, I want to highlight three board game communities I’ve interacted with in the past year who continue to provide a constructive space for board game development.
1. Distraction Makers
The Strategy Circle is another insightful Design Theory
Game designers/enjoyers Forrest and Gavin host Distraction Makers, an Idle-Thumbs-inspired YouTube channel which focuses on individual mechanics, concepts, and features from popular card and board games. More often than not, they’re talking about Magic the Gathering, and more often than not, they’re talking about Commander. Even if WOTC’s TCG giant isn’t your bread and butter, each video is an insightful breakdown of the benefits and consequences of any given game mechanic. Magic just happens to have such a storied history and widespread appeal that it lends itself as an accessible example for their dialogues.
Their MEAT method (Mechanics, Experience, Aesthetics, Takeaway), inspired by art critic Elliot Earl’s ADSR method, is an especially interesting development tool that I would love to see more discussion of.
With both hosts also being game publishers, they back up their words with genuine experience and a growing community of contributors. Their discord server is active for discussion of video topics, and members regularly host their own impromptu playtests. Attending the server’s monthly design night was a treat, even as an observer, and I believe one of the developers for Grotto Beasts was there? I may be mistaken. Regardless, be sure to check in on the last Thursday of every month for those group design tests.
Gavin’s Kickstarter campaign for Bullets and Teeth and Aliens (through Last Ditch Games) is also live now, so drop by to support his work first-hand if you’re wanting to learn more.
2. #BoardGameProtoHype (#BGPH on Instagram)
I couldn’t find an official #BGPH logo. So I made one!
Tucked into the Meta content ecosystem, BGPH is a conglomerate group of indie board game designers and publishers in a massive Instagram chat. Each Monday, they help promote fellow members with a weekly hastag theme, boosting engagement for all involved. It’s a lovely grassroots organization propelling participants further than any of us could’ve gone on our own. It isn’t the first group of its kind and won’t be the last, but BGPH has popped up as a lasting nexus for highlighting every part of the design process. Excellent for those strapped for content ideas.
Though Diceratops has been a member for some time (since even the first of their weekly hashtags), we’ve admittedly been less active in this group than we might’ve hoped. Still, I make sure to drop at least a little support for Kickstarter campaigns that come through the chat, and many of those designers have successfully funded their projects with the audience BGPH helped build. It’s a case where you get out what you put in, so if you’re already active on Instagram or our looking for your way in, I can recommend this group wholeheartedly.
To get an invite, try reaching out to the Diceratops Games Instagram page - We’ll gladly drop a line. There is also a Discord server for this group (which we helped set up), though it sees significantly less activity.
3. Homemade Trading Card Game Community Discord
Banner by the wonderful Beaverlicious Games.
The last group I’ll mention today is one that Diceratops has not made extensive use of. We were introduced to the Homemade TCG Community by our friends over at Grimsong Games, but HTCG is a vibrant community of creators dialed in on TCG’s, ECG’s, CCG’s, and LCG’s. It seems like each time I open this server, I’m shown exciting new projects with wild themes and wilder mechanics. The TCG space is its own beast when compared to traditional tabletop games, and HTCG can help a designer entering that arena orient themselves. In a crowded market where setting yourself apart is key, seeing what other people have tried and are trying can save so much time and effort. Plus, the people there know the classics in and out: let them impart upon you lessons learned from 30 years of card game play.
You may not be developing the next MTG, but HTCG is my recommendation for anyone looking to dip their toes into games with player-constructed-decks and similar mechanics. You’ll gain access to helpful advice, meet potential testers, and learn about any design contests floating around the online card-game-o-sphere.
Honorable Mention: The Diceratops Games Discord Server
Self-plug aside, we do try to create a space for designers to collaborate on their projects. When creatives help test each other’s games, everyone benefits. Especially us, as we continue promoting our own campaign for Mana Mania. Feel free to drop by here.
So those are three game design communities with the Diceratops Games seal-of-approval. Your mileage may vary, but I highly recommend you give these groups a glance if you’re on the prowl for new players to get feedback from. Just remember that you should always return the favor: freeloaders who don’t contribute back tend not to make the most of these creative spaces. It’s a simple as giving another designer the time of day without expecting anything in return.
Got another group you’d like to shout-out? Drop a comment below.
